Jia Fuhai drove the car, following the GPS directly to their destination.
He circled around the industrial park first, observing the surrounding environment.
"Brother Hai, the air here is so fresh," Zhen Linna said, rolling down the car window and taking a deep breath.
"Isn't it the same at home?" Jia Fuhai slowed the car down to a crawl.
"The air at home is always filled with the sea breeze. This is different," Zhen Linna said, clearly enjoying the change in the atmosphere.
...
"Most of the factories around here seem to be food processing plants," Jia Fuhai noted as they passed several cold chain trucks, some of which were unloading seafood.
"We're here." He parked the car in a designated spot and reminded Linna.
"I've never been here before," Zhen Linna said, unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car, scratching her head as she looked around.
"This is definitely the place," Jia Fuhai confirmed after double-checking the address, then walked towards the security booth.
An elderly security guard sat outside the booth on a chair, dressed in a security uniform. Jia Fuhai quickly approached him to ask:
"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where Tianfeng No. 3 is?"
"What are you here for?" The security guard scrutinized the two of them before asking.
Jia Fuhai showed him the property documents and explained their purpose.
After reviewing the papers, the security guard made a quick phone call, then said, "Alright, follow me. No. 3 isn't far."
He then called into the booth, "Xiao Zhao, come out and keep watch. I'm taking them to the factory."
"Coming, Old Huang!" A young man emerged from the booth.
"Young man, planning to start your own factory at such a young age?" Old Huang asked as he led the way.
"It's just a small venture, doing some baking and cakes. I'll bring you some to try when we start," Jia Fuhai said, holding Linna's hand as they followed.
"Oh, please, I've had enough of that. Most of the factories around here are food factories, and they keep sending me their products. I'm sick of it," Old Huang shuddered, clearly tired of the constant food deliveries from the factory owners.
"That's all the more reason you should try ours. That way, you'll know which ones are actually good," Jia Fuhai said, his eyes lighting up. He figured Old Huang had a well-developed palate by now.
"Fair enough. If it's good, I can recommend you to some potential clients," Old Huang replied, still chatting while occasionally glancing at the two of them.
As the security guard for this industrial park, many business owners looking to buy food products would come to him for information. If he found a good food factory, he would actively recommend it to visiting buyers.
That's why the factory owners often sent him food.
"Thank you in advance, Old Huang," Jia Fuhai quickly said.
"As long as you ensure food safety, that's what really matters. Here we are," Old Huang pointed to an empty factory building. Then, pointing to the building next door, he added:
"This is No. 4, your neighbor. They produce coffee, and their brand is famous throughout Hong Kong. You could learn a thing or two from them."
"But I don't understand why young people these days are so obsessed with coffee. Isn't tea much better?" He shook his head at the end.
"I don't drink coffee much either. Tea is just fine," Jia Fuhai thought to himself. Young people don't have a choice—coffee is for survival in the workforce. Who wouldn't prefer tea if they had the option?
If it hadn't been for his wealthy wife, he would have been guzzling coffee to survive too, especially when their first child was still on the way. He couldn't help but feel fortunate that Lady Luck had smiled on him.
"You're a rare breed, a young person who still drinks tea," Old Huang said, his eyes lighting up with approval as he nodded.
Jia Fuhai thought to himself, Milk tea counts as tea, right?
Afterward, Old Huang gave them detailed instructions about the factory and what they needed to take care of.
"Alright, that's it. I've got to head back to the gate," Old Huang said, finishing his explanations before heading back to his post.
"This old man is pretty responsible," Zhen Linna commented as Old Huang left, having been quiet the whole time up until then.
"Yeah, it's reassuring to have a factory in such good hands," Jia Fuhai agreed.
The two of them walked into the No. 3 factory, which was mostly empty except for a few items piled in the corners.
The factory wasn't particularly large, just a few hundred square meters.
But for Jia Fuhai, it was more than enough for now. After all, his initial plan was mainly to make products for themselves to enjoy.
"These are all food packaging bags. They must have been left behind by the previous owner," Zhen Linna said as she inspected the pile.
"It's fine. We'll get someone to clean it up later and give the place a proper wash," Jia Fuhai said, satisfied with the state of the factory overall.
It was just a few hundred square meters, but since he and Linna couldn't handle the cleaning themselves, they would need to hire help.
They went back to Old Huang to get contact information for nearby cleaning services—after all, local workers would arrive faster, and besides, money wasn't an issue for Jia Fuhai (thanks to his wife!).
After arranging the cleaning, Jia Fuhai figured they might as well visit the famous coffee factory next door that Old Huang had mentioned.
Standing at the entrance of Factory No. 4, he looked up at the sign displaying four big characters: Xiangjin Shiji.
"Nana, have you ever tried their coffee?" Jia Fuhai asked, turning to Linna.
"No, but I've seen my classmates drink it," Zhen Linna shook her head. She preferred sweet treats, and with a doting father who spoiled her, honey was the only thing she needed.
Just as they stepped into Factory No. 4, a receptionist approached them.
"Hello, are you here for a tour, or…?" the receptionist asked.
"What do you mean by a tour?" Jia Fuhai asked, puzzled.
The receptionist explained, "Well, you see..."
As it turned out, Xiangjin Shiji used to receive frequent visits from inspectors and curious visitors. At first, the owner had no problem with it, but after hosting so many people, it became a bit exhausting.
After seeing other factories livestream their production processes, the owner decided to do the same—offering a real-time livestream of the factory floor, accessible to anyone.
Once the livestream was up and running, the number of visitors dropped significantly. These days, only a few people visited in person each month.
"That's brilliant! Your boss is really clever," Jia Fuhai was impressed. He thought this idea might work for his own business as well—it was worth learning from.
"So, are you here for…?" the receptionist smiled, waiting for clarification.
"Is your boss here?" Jia Fuhai asked.
"The boss usually comes in after 5 PM. Would you like to wait, or...?" the receptionist responded politely.
"Does your boss have a personal business card?"
"Well..." The receptionist looked a bit hesitant. Typically, the boss only gave out his personal number to business partners, and even the factory's public phone number had been changed after their first livestream. The sheer volume of calls, even from overseas, had been overwhelming.
"Alright, we'll come back later," Jia Fuhai said, sensing the receptionist's hesitation. He decided to let it go for now.
They returned to their own factory.
"Brother Hai, look at this," Zhen Linna said, handing her phone to Jia Fuhai.
Jia Fuhai glanced at the screen, surprised. "Xiangjin Shiji? Isn't this their factory's livestream?"
"Yep, and it's a sterile production environment. Can you believe it? Sterile for just coffee! It's gotten pretty popular online," Zhen Linna explained, having done some quick research while Jia Fuhai was talking earlier.
"Not bad, not bad. We should go back later and learn from them. We'll cross the river by feeling the stones," Jia Fuhai said with a smile.
"...Their factory is so famous, but it hasn't grown that big, has it?" Zhen Linna suddenly clapped her hands, a realization hitting her.
"Uh..." Jia Fuhai was momentarily at a loss for words.